The present invention relates to carpet cleaning, and more particularly to devices for cleaning upholstery and other surfaces in difficult to access locations such as vehicles and the like.
Portable vacuum cleaners that are adapted for use on stairs, vehicles, and in similar locations are known in the prior art. Also known are the use of surface cleaning fluids and subsequently recovering same by vacuum. U.S. Pat. No. 4,156,952 to Lynch, Jr., discloses a carpet soil extractor having a reciprocally powered brush in combination with a vacuum head and solution ejecting nozzles, the extractor being supported on a carpet solely by a mouth of the vacuum head, the brush and a spring skid, brush pressure being variable in response to tilting of the extractor.
The surface cleaners of the prior art nevertheless exhibit a number of disadvantages. For example:
1. They are ineffective in that they do not include brushes.
2. They are ineffective for use in confined areas such as are encountered in vehicles. In particular, the extractor of Lynch, Jr., is required to contact the surface to be cleaned over a large area and to be moved gross distances while maintaining the large area contact.
3. They are difficult to use in that they are awkward to service.
4. They are expensive to produce in that they have complex reciprocating brush mechanisms.
Thus there is a need for a compact portable surface cleaner that is effective and convenient to use in confined spaces such as vehicle interiors.